photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County leaders are set to consider extending an industrial development incentive program for another three years.

The Douglas County Commission at its Wednesday meeting will consider authorizing an extension for the Catalyst Incentive Program, which would last until April 1, 2025. The program was first adopted by the City of Lawrence in April of 2017 and has since provided a special assistance package offering expedited approval for new projects meeting certain criteria, first at Lawrence Venture Park and East Hills Business Park and later all industrial zoned properties within city limits with a 25,000-square-foot new building requirement.

The Lawrence City Commission authorized the latest extension on its end at a meeting earlier this year. A memo to the County Commission included with this week’s meeting materials notes the program has been “very successful” in that it’s added industrial space, jobs, capital investment and tax revenue streams.

In other business, the commission will:

• During a work session, hear an update about safety-net services for low-income seniors and community members with disabilities. The commission is set to hear from officials with three area agencies offering such services — the Douglas County Senior Resource Center, Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging, and Trinity In-Home Care — along with representatives with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical and LMH Health.

• Consider extending a pre-funding agreement between the county and Behavioral Health Partners that would extend county funding to support planning and development related to the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County.

Agenda materials for this topic note that a number of factors — including supply chain issues, licensure requirements and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s unanticipated designation as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic — have meant the planning process outlined in the original pre-funding agreement approved last September is not yet complete. If it’s approved by the commission, the pre-funding agreement would be extended through June 30 and will provide for the employment of direct care staff and other employees to support a smooth transition for the center to begin operating in July.

The Treatment and Recovery Center entered its final stages on construction within the past few months; the county is set to host a dedication ceremony and open house for the space at 5:30 p.m. on June 23.

• Consider a special event permit request from Garrett’s Entertainment LLC to allow an outdoor Halloween-themed festival to operate from Sept. 28 through Oct. 31 at a property located at 1387 East 1650 Road. The property in question is a “county island,” an unincorporated area completely surrounded by the City of Lawrence.

Wednesday’s work session will begin at 4 p.m., and the regular business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting also will be available by Zoom. For meeting information, visit the county’s website: dgcoks.org/commissionmeetings.